Unlike composite rankings at first base and even catcher, the second base rankings are less clustered in terms of overall scoring.

Players were rated on their positional ranking with five of the main fantasy websites: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, CBS Sportsline and FOX Sports. Their total score was tallied and players were then ranked below on what the aggregate turned out to be.

Lack of close scoring suggests that the position isn’t as deep as others, as usually is the case with second base. However, there are a number of lesser-known players who could be solid late-round value picks.

1. Chase Utley, Philadelphia (6 composite pts): Offseason hip surgery prior to the 2009 season didn’t affect Utley’s totals last year … in fact, he stole a career-high 25 bases to go with his 31 home runs. While he failed to drive in 100 runs for the first time in a while, that stat is likely to change considering the potentency of the Philly lineup.

2. Ian Kinsler, Texas (9): A unanimous No. 2 second baseman on this list from every source used except FOX Sports (which ranked him first over Utley), Kinsler produced a 30/30 campaign in 2009 despite hitting a sub-Adam Dunn .253 batting average. Kinsler’s biggest struggles were on the road, and considering his sheer talent, Kinsler deserves a place near the top of this list.

3. Dustin Pedroia, Boston (16): Despite a decline in home runs and batting average in 2009, Pedroia gets extra love on various rankings because he had more stolen base attempts in 2009 than in any previous year and he is hitting in the vaunted Boston lineup.

4. Robinson Cano, New York (24): Despite a slow startin 2009, Cano had career-high numbers in most categories that matter, including batting average (.320), home runs (25), stolen bases (5) and runs scored (103). Also a beneficiary of hitting in a prolific offense, Cano is someone you can count on at the position.

5. Brian Roberts, Baltimore (26): Roberts saw a 10-stolen base decline for the second consecutive season in 2009, but hit a career-high 16 homers, saw a marked improvement in RBI and even a small one in runs scored. Not shabby from a player who has very little lineup protection. Roberts isn’t a shoe-in steals guy anymore, but has become a more multi-dimensional tool.

6. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati (31): A 20/20 player for three consecutive seasons, Phillips also increased his batting average by 10 points in 2009 and he cut down on overall strikeouts. His value increases if he gets run support from young players such as Jay Bruce.

7. Aaron Hill, Toronto (34): The AL Comeback Player of the Year hit 36 homers while increasing his batting average by 20-plus points. Interestingly, he hit at least five homers during each month of the 2009 season, and while it would be wise not to expect another 36 long balls in 2010, you can feel a little better about penciling Hill into your lineup.

8. Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay (41): In just over double the games played from 2008 to 2009, Zobrist more than doubled his home run total and increased his stolen base totals almost six-fold. Many are wondering if Zobrist can repeat his solid stats, and I just wanted to point out that he hit 16 of his homers in the first three months of the season and is a drastically better hitter at home than on the road. For whatever it’s worth.

9. Dan Uggla, Florida (47): Want some power consistency at second base? Uggla has quietly hit 30-plus homers in three straight seasons (and 27 or more in four-straight). Too bad he hit at a .243 clip and has seen a steady decline in runs scored in the past three seasons.

10. Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Angels (51): The potential dropoff here is noticeable … Kendrick hit 10 homers, stole 11 bases and hit .291 (down from .306 in 2009 and .322 in 2008). While he has the potential to do more in that offense, it is hard to get excited until he shows us more on a day-to-day basis.

11. Ian Stewart, Colorado (57): While he plays primarly third base, Stewart is eligible at second. His 25 homers in 147 games last year was nice … the .228 average, not so nice.

12. Jose Lopez, Seattle (58): Also eligible at third base, Lopez compiled a quietly nice season after a slow start in 2009. He hit .287 with five homers and 14 RBI in September this past fall, and the team is considerably more talented after a series of offseason moves.

14. Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee (69): Perennially a sleeper/value guy, Weeks started to finally put it all together early in 2009 before suffering a wrist injury that derailed everything. The Brewers are committing to him as their starting second baseman in 2010 and the lineup in Milwaukee is stacked, so I’ll personally be drinking this Kool-Aid one more time and seeing where the rabbit hole goes.

15. Placido Polanco, Philadelphia (76): After time in Detroit, Polanco returns to Philly and will be transitioning to third base. He may not offer elite stats in any one category, but hitting in the stacked Philly lineup, Polanco should get enough numbers to be a respectable backup 2b in most league formats.

Everybody is looking for their fantasy baseball draft. Whether you win the fantasy baseball league or not, having bragging rights for finding that rookie sensation is a nice consolation prize, even if you don’t end up winning the pennant.